Murcia–Almería high-speed rail line

The Murcia–Almería high-speed rail line is an under-construction railway in the Region of Murcia and Andalusia in Spain.

Murcia–Almería high-speed rail line
Overview
TypeHigh-speed rail
StatusUnder construction
LocaleSpain (Region of Murcia, Andalucia)
TerminiMurcia del Carmen
Almería
Operation
Opened2023[1]
OwnerAdif
Operator(s)Renfe Operadora
Technical
Line length184 km (114 mi)
Number of tracksTriple track
Track gauge2 tracks 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge, 1 track 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 21⁄32 in) Iberian gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz[2]
Operating speedmax 300 km/h (190 mph)

History

Murcia and Almería were once linked by rail from Lorca to Guadix via Baza, however this line closed in 1985. When the AVE high speed rail network opened in 1992, it continued to expand, with the Madrid–Levante high-speed rail network reaching Alicante railway station in 2013, and will reach Murcia del Carmen railway station in 2021. A continuation from Murcia to Almería was proposed, and construction of the new high-speed line began in 2010,[3] but was suspended due to political disagreements. In 2017 the Spanish government announced that work would restart in 2019, to be completed by 2023.[1]

Route

The line will serve as a continuation of the Madrid–Levante high-speed rail network at Murcia, serving stations at Lorca and Vera before terminating in Almería. It will include two standard-gauge high-speed tracks for passenger trains with a maximum speed of 300 km/h (190 mph) and a parallel 1668 mm Iberian gauge track for freight.[3] The trip from Murcia to Almería is expected to take 1 hour 5 minutes,[4] and 3.5 hours to Madrid, compared to the current six hours taken using the existing Linares Baeza–Almería railway.

References
  1. "El Gobierno anuncia que reanudará las obras del AVE Almería-Murcia en 2019 y las acabará en 2023". El Mundo (in Spanish). 3 April 2017. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  2. "Adif - Almería - Murcia line". www.adifaltavelocidad.es. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  3. "20 rail projects to watch in 2020". International Railway Journal. 8 January 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
  4. "¿Cuándo llegará el AVE a Almería?". Diario de Almería. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
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